Dear J.T. & DALE: My wife just found out that her co-worker, who is male and who does what she does, makes $40,000 more per year. She is furious. What can she do? – George
DALE: The first thing she should do is set up a meeting with her boss to discuss the situation. She should be prepared to explain how she learned about the pay disparity, and she should come to the meeting with a list of her activities and accomplishments. Specifically, she should showcase how her work has saved or made the company money. I am sure, George, that you think it should not be your wife’s responsibility to justify herself, but if she’ll do so, she will make such a strong case that it will be hard for the employer not to give her the additional money.
DALE: Well … while no one is waiting for “The Old White Guy’s Guide to Solving Income Inequality,” I’ll still add a suggestion: Even in setting a meeting, your wife has to get over being “furious.” She can’t go in with an assumption that her employers are sexist pigs. Even if they are, they are not going to say: “Oh, hey – caught me! Here’s a $40,000 raise!” No, if cornered, they’ll rationalize and cement their position, and her salary. (She must consider that there might even be a reason he makes more, such as some key contacts that led to new accounts, or specialized work experience that brought him in at a higher salary.) I hope she will go into the meeting with this in her mind: “Someone in my position is making a lot more? Great! Now, how do I get mine?” That’s where the material J.T. is suggesting will be critical. Your wife needs to help management find a solution, not make accusations, which will close their minds.
J.T.: Agreed. Sure, the bad news is that she found out she’s being underpaid; however, the much more helpful good news is that she found out she could be making a heck of a lot more. It’s time she used this knowledge to work on her personal brand while getting what she deserves.
Dear J.T. & Dale: I lost my job 18 months ago. I have since taken a series of contract jobs to pay the bills. I’m starting to worry that employers won’t hire me for full-time jobs because of these shorter gigs. Any tips on getting a full-time position again? – Jeremy
J.T.: First, you should know that some studies predict that as much as half of the work force will be contract workers by 2020. Why? Companies need to shift and adapt to market changes so quickly that they can’t offer full-time jobs. That means that you, by succeeding as a contract worker, are building a skill set that could keep you employable.
DALE: It’s what I think of as the Hollywood Model, where a team is assembled for a project (like a movie), then disbanded, only to later have a new team assembled and disbanded, over and over. The key is to be a terrific teammate, the kind everyone wants to work with. Do it right and you thrive, even as the old notion of employment slowly fades. However, if that doesn’t appeal to you, you can use the contract work as a way to audition for full-time jobs by choosing work based on which companies have a history of spotting talented workers and offering traditional jobs.
J.T.: To accelerate that process, make sure your work and skills are in alignment with jobs still filled by full-time employees. Make sure your personal brand represents the strengths required to have that job. Do some informational interviews with your full-time colleagues, and see how they got their jobs and what they’d suggest. Also, some of them might know of upcoming openings – remember, 80 percent of jobs come via referral, and having one of them recommend you for a full-time job could be your ticket.
– Workplace consultant and career coach J.T. O’Donnell has coached, trained and mentored employees and managers on a wide variety of career-related subjects since 1994. Her book, “CAREEREALISM: The Smart Approach to A Satisfying Career” is available at JTODonnell.com. Management guru Dale Dauten has written six books and is an authority on innovation in the workplace. His latest book, “Great Employees Only: How Gifted Bossess Hire & Dehire Their Way to Success” is available at Dauten.com. copyright 2013 King Features.
